


After the Long Night

by AnneEden



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Show Compliant, post 8x03
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-10 16:37:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18664228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnneEden/pseuds/AnneEden
Summary: I'm going to add a few chapters a night this week to finish before Sunday.  Here's the start :)





	1. Winterfell

Sansa 

 

"We have won the great war.  Now we will win he last war."

The hall erupted in cheers.  Everyone raised their glasses and cups and drank.  

Sansa raised hers slowly and gave a small smile.  The best she could do to retain her smile as she looked to her left at the Queen.  

The cheers continued as she sipped to hide her face.  It was hard to celebrate still she thought.  They had only just burned the dead and cleaned the ruins of the castle in this last fortnight.   The dust had just settled from the Long Night and it felt as though they had only just regained a grasp on what had happened.

She snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her sister.  She smiled a true smile that did not need to be contrived.  She was the hero of the night.  She protected their home and their brother in the end.  Arya was on the floor amongst the warriors and defenders of the living.  She had no urge to have a seat at the dais.  Sansa noticed that the blacksmith that had come with the Brotherhood made a habit of staying particularly close to Arya on this night.  He was handsome to be sure.  Dark hair and strong arms.  She had not seen him since his arrival as he had been in his work at the forge. Sansa thought he must be closer to her age than Arya's but what was a year or two.  Sansa was married to Tyrion after all when she was but four and ten.  Sansa supposed what intrigued her the most about watching them was that Arya did not shy away from his touches or glances.  There was something there she thought.  She would ask Arya about it tomorrow if tonight did not yield the answer.

Sansa looked down at her glass.  Still half full when Tyrion waddled up to her.  He had clearly been into his cups.  She wondered if he had stopped drinking since they left the crypt.  He had been ready to fight for her in the crypts in a moment of sobriety.  She supposed it was rather sweet, her once husband ready to fight for her, to do what he could.  He had kissed her hand as they prepared to make their last stand.  She would not forget it.

"My Lady."  He slurred.  He meant to bow but his balance disguised the pleasantry as a stumble.

"Lord Hand." She said she gave a small bow.

Sansa's eyes moved from him to the Queen beyond him.  She was smiling and whispering to Jon.  

Sansa looked down at her cup again.

"You're worried for him."  Tyrion said in a moment of clarity. 

Sansa did not speak.  She supposed her silence spoke for her.

"He is a good man you know. He.."

She cut in.  "Good men do not fair well in King's Landing, Lord Tyrion."

Tyrion saw the truth in her words.  Her Father had been good man and he lost his head for it.  Jon would do his duty though.  She had brought her dragons to the North to fight for the living and now he must go South to reclaim her throne.  Sansa wondered when he left Winterfell in a fortnight if that would be last she saw of Jon.

"This is a fight we can win, after all." Tyrion slurred.

He was trying to reassure her but she supposed he was giving to much up.  Perhaps their moment in the crypts had Tyrion being over sentimental about their relationship, what might have been or what still could be.

"Cersei bought her army.  They will fight for whoever pays them the most."

Sansa drank a sip.  She realized she was using Baelish's old trick.  Silence made most men uncomfortable.  They sought to fill the silence with words and revealed more than they wished more oft than not.

"The Iron Bank will back Dany.  How could they not?"

That was the plan then she reasoned.  The army that stood was small.  Exhausted.  Only the Unsullied that remained were near fit to fight.  The Knights of the Vale were too few to make a difference at this point.  The Dothraki were entirely gone and the Northmen that stood would look to return to their keeps to wait for a promise of Spring.  Dragons would make a difference, yes but they could not burn a city she sought to rule.  She only needed to oust Cersei and her council. 

The men and women of Kings Landing had never cared which King sat upon the Iron Throne so long as there was peace.  Perhaps Robert earned more favor as he did not burn his subjects for fun as Aerys had.  She wondered how many among the population of Kings Landing would not forget the silver haired Mad King.  How would they welcome his daughter who they had forgotten existed. Who they had never set eyes upon?  

"Yes, I suppose if you negotiate with the Iron Bank on Daenearys behalf how could they reject the rightful queen."

Sansa hoped that she did not sense the tinge of snark as she got up from the dais.

"If you'll excuse me, My Lord."  She stood and made for the hall's exist towards the Lord's chambers. 

He stumble-bowed in reply and began to look for a pitcher to refill his cup.

Sansa glanced at the hall a final time.  She noticed an odd congregation among Lady Brienne including Tormund, Podrick, and Ser Jaime.  They all looked rather appealed at whatever tale Tormund was telling.  Jon had told Sansa that Tormund "wished to court Brienne."  Jon tried to protect her by using delicate phrasing.  She knew a man like Tormund did not wish to  _court_ anyone.  But Brienne could take care of herself, to be sure.

She noticed the blacksmith even closer to Arya than before and Arya's hands had found his cloak's ties.  Playing with them almost girlishly.  Sansa raised an eyebrow when Arya's eyes met hers.  Arya dropped the ties but Sansa only smiled and turned away.  Arya was the great Heroine of the North, she could do what she please with a the blacksmith.  Sansa wasn't sure she hadn't already.

 

 

 

xxxxxx

 

 

 

Jon

 

 

He tightened his stirrup strap a last time.  The ride would be long.  Longer than his ride to the wall or any ranging he had done North of it.

It would take a month maybe two with a party of this size to reach Kings Landing.  The Kings Road was still littered with thieves and turn cloaks.  Those loyal to houses that had not the courage or honor to fight for the North.  The Riverlands was in a state of chaos.  The Reach beyond it even more so according to Varys.  The power vacuum had made political rivals out of lesser Lords.  The Tyrells and the Tarlys could not hold their own lands.  The Freys held Riverrun but not the Twins.  House Bracken had taken the Twins but it was a shaky inheritance.  They had been loyal to House Baratheon under King Robert but the War of the Five Kings had left the Riverlands in a state of uncertainty.  Too far and too poor to warrant an army to keep the Queen's Peace any gang of bandits and thieves was like to rise up and take a castle from a noble house if they thought the odds favored them. 

As much as this was a conquest this would be a peacekeeping effort for Dany if she met to earn grace among her kingdom. The lands that war had ravaged would need to be reassured their Queen had not forgotten them.  Peace must be restored throughout if she meant to rule.  

Tyrion spoke of how Dany had won favor in the Slave Cities.  How the poor loved her and called her "Mysa."  Mother in their tongue.  He felt a smile come across his face as he thought of that.

Dany was watching him he realized.  She would ride alongside him just as they had from Dragonstone.

"What are you smiling at?"  She teased.

"Nothing Your Grace."  He smiled at her.

She shook her head in puzzlement.

"I'll get it out of you." she said with a raised eyebrow and mounted her mare.

It was a much smaller formation than what they had arrived with.  The Unsullied had started marching earlier in the morning.  They were about 2,000 strong.  Hardly the greatest army the world had seen, but as the Dragons flew overhead he could not forget that advantage.

The Northmen and the Freefolk that remained marched ahead next.  They would be followed by Tyrion and Varys in their litter, Messendei, Sam, Gilly and some other women and other bits of the non-soldiering ranks and the Nights of the Vale in the rear.

A small party of 30 Northmen would stay with Sansa, Bran and Arya at Winterfell.  They were charged with putting back together what they could.  Sansa had done well to keep the increase the stores for a long winter.  Fortunately for her the Winter ended sooner than anyone had anticipated.  Even her with her planning.  Jon and Dany took a good amount of rations with them as a result.  Feeding their own troops would be easy but feeding the towns and villages along the way would go far to win the people's hearts.  Perhaps they could pick up a few men for their cause in exchange for a tent over their heads and a hot meal at least once a day.

Jon looked for Sansa now.  A bit surprised she was not here to send him off as the Lady of Winterfell.  Arya and Bran were standing at the gate.  Jon noticed the Gendry behind Bran as well.  The Blacksmith he fought alongside now earned an evil glare from Jon.  He saw Gendry swallow a bit harder than normal.

Jon refocused on Bran.  Do you need anything before we leave? 

Bran's eyes did not meet his. 

"All I need is the Godswood now."

Jon didn't quite understand Bran.  Perhaps Sam did he thought.

He turned to Arya.  "You'll take care of him then?"

Arya nodded and hugged him.  "I'll do what I can." 

Jon smiled at that as she released him from their embrace.

"And you'll take care of Arya, I presume?" Jon looked at Gendry who could barely meet his eyes.

He mumbled some "yes m'lord." to which Jon wanted to laugh. 

"Aye, then.  Where's your sister?"  Jon said to Arya as he searched the balconies above the courtyard.  It was unlike Sansa to neglect her duty of Lady of Winterfell seeing her banners off would have been something she should be present for.

"There." Arya pointed.  

She wasn't on the balcony nor in the courtyard coming to bid farewell to him.  Sansa was mounted on her gray.  She brought her mare alongside Dany and they both glanced back Jon now.

"I suppose she means to take care of you."

 

 


	2. Tyrion

Tyrion

 

Tyrion made use of Sam's books before he left Winterfell in haste. The Library had sustained some unfortunate damage but the information he sought was still in tact. He rolled up a scroll a Maester had carefully written and tucked it into his jerkin. It would be out of place to have amongst his belongings should anyone else's eyes set upon the scroll.

Two days into their journey they made camp for a night. He spent his days in a litter with Varys and he wanted to read this scroll's contents in private. Should it yield pertinent information he would decide if he wanted to share his knowledge.

He suspected as much but Northerners were not unlike his family in the Westerlands. The family tree of House Stark showed a few instances of what his own family tree showed. House Stark married their Lordlings and Ladies off to many of the Northern Houses. Umber, Cerwyn, Manderly, Glover, those were to be expected. The North was vast and the Starks maintained their relationships with their bannermen with these marriages. He suspected had the War of the Five Kings not come upon the Starks that Robb Stark might have taken some Karstark or Royce as a wife. 

The other suspicion he confirmed was that there were several instances of relatives marrying. He did not make it a point to note all the family trees of Westeros but he might have remembered that Ned Stark's own parents were cousins. Another line showed that Sansa Stark, daughter of Jeyne Manderly and Rickon Stark wed her uncle Jonnel Stark. Rickon and Jayne's other daughter, Serena Stark wed her Uncle as well Edric Stark. 

Northmen were not so different then. His own family had similar ideas about what was considered properly distant enough within the family to be considered a potential match. Tyrion's own parents were cousins. Not so unusual in Westeros, the North included he supposed. 

Targaryens wed brother to sister. Aegon the Conqueror had wed his two sisters Visenya and Rhaenys and throughout the reign of the Targaryens it was rare that noble houses should find themselves betrothed to the Silver Haired Royals. Aegon the Unlikely had sought to change that. He grew up in the countryside of Westeros as a common squire for a Hedge Knight, Ser Duncan the Tall. His title "the Unlikely" was earned as he was the Fifth Son of the Fourth Son and did not expect to be close to succession at the time of his birth. For Aegon this gave him the freedom to be the squire for the hedge knight and grow up amongst his future subjects. He took for his wife Bertha Blackwood breaking from the tradition of marrying one of his sisters. Aegean became convinced the Targaryen practice of incestuous marriage was harmful after spending time with small folk. He and his wife sought to betroth their four of their children to some of the Great Houses in the Seven Kingdoms. None of these marriages came to be and his son and heir Prince Jaehaerys took his own sister Shaera to be his wife to Aegon's dismay. It would seem Targaryens could not help but to be attracted to their own line. Tyrion recalled the saying "madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. Every time a Targaryen is born he said, the gods toss the coin, in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land." His chest tightened at that thought thinking of his Queen.

He drew deep breaths and moved the scroll about his fingers refocusing his thoughts. This scroll would mean a marriage between Daenearys and Jon would have no objections from their reluctant King. He supposed that was the problem now...Jon himself. 

Tyrion recalled when he was at the Wall with Jon what seemed like a lifetime ago. He was proud to be taking the Black. Once, serving on the Wall was honor and a sign of selfless devotion to duty, with many knights, honorable men, and nobles taking the black voluntarily. Surely he thought this was true still. His Uncle Benjen was a third son of a Noble and could offer a wife no castle. Jeor Mormont, 997th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, the "Old Bear" had taken the Black so that his son Jorah could assume his own Lordship as Lord of Bear Island. Noble reasons to take the Black. He supposed his own Lord Father would have liked Tyrion to take the Black long ago. So proud Jon was to take the black and renounce his life as a Stark Bastard and how wary he was to hold a title now. Warden of the North, King of the North, Lord of Winterfell, none of those he had particularly warmed to.

Daenearys though... She longed for the title of Queen. She styled herself already as Queen of Westeros among others. "Daenerys Stormborn, The Unburnt, Breaker of Chains, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, Queen of the Andals Rhoynar and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass"...Tyrion wondered if he had forgotten anything. Missendei was better at it and he was glad he did not have to remember all the titles she thought she needed. 

But she wasn't really. Khaleesi and Mother of Dragons yes, but Queen of the Seven Kingdoms was not her rightful title. It pained him to hear Sansa's words that day. To know the truth in them. 

He knew why Sansa had entrusted him with this knowledge. He was the enemy she knew. His former wife knew what kind of man Tyrion was. He was the man who did not touch her on the night they wed. He was the man who put an end to Joffery's torment as he could...The beatings stopped at least he thought. He could not control the vile things that came from his mouth but he had seen to her safety and comfort while they were wed in Kings Landing. Years past and they both had managed to survive despite the odds against them. She had grown more beautiful with age. When she was in Kings Landing she was a pretty girl but now she was a woman grown. Tall and graceful, and with a harshness that only made her more beautiful. She had her mother's eyes and Tully red hair, the fierceness of Lady Catelyn but the poise and reserve of Lord Eddard. She had the mind for politics neither Catelyn or Ned possessed though. Her lessons came from Kings Landing. She had many teachers and it would seem she learned from them well. There were many who had underestimated her and now most of them are dead. Her trust in Tyrion was not a slip of the tongue. No it took great thought to reveal this. He knew the implications.

Tyrion rolled up the scroll and tucked it back into his jerkin. He would think on this more as they made their way down the Kings Road and poured himself a large goblet of wine.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to add a few chapters a night this week to finish before Sunday. Here's the start :)


End file.
